2009
- Inglourious Basterds
- A Serious Man
- The Hurt Locker
- The White Ribbon
- Drag Me to Hell
- District 9
- Paranormal Activity
- Sin Nombre
- Humpday
- A Single Man
Runners-up: (500) Days of Summer, Up, Precious
2007
- Once
- There Will Be Blood
- No Country for Old Men
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
- Ratatouille
- Michael Clayton
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
- Atonement
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- Zodiac
Runners-up: 3:10 to Yuma, Lars & the Real Girl, Margot at the Wedding
2008
- Milk
- Rachel Getting Married
- Burn After Reading
- WALL-E
- Frozen River
- In Bruges
- The Dark Knight
- Kung Fu Panda
- Hunger
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Runners-up: The Wrestler, Man on Wire, Reprise
2006
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Children of Men
- The Fountain
- The Devil Wears Prada
- A Prairie Home Companion
- The Queen
- The Departed
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Inside Man
Runners-up: Volver, Half Nelson, The Break-Up
2005
- Brokeback Mountain
- A History of Violence
- Grizzly Man
- Good Night, and Good Luck.
- The Family Stone
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin
- Junebug
- Walk the Line
- Pride & Prejudice
- Match Point
Runners-up: The Constant Gardener, Murderball, Caché
2003
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Lost in Translation
- Finding Nemo
- Mystic River
- City of God
- A Mighty Wind
- Kill Bill Volume 1
- Love Actually
- Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
- School of Rock
Runners-up: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Shattered Glass, Down with Love
2001
- Moulin Rouge!
- Mulholland Drive
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Memento
- Amélie
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- Gosford Park
- In the Mood for Love
- The Anniversary Party
- The Royal Tenenbaums
Runners-up: Monsters, Inc.; In the Bedroom; Bandits
2004
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Before Sunset
- Sideways
- I Heart Huckabees
- The Incredibles
- Closer
- Kill Bill Volume 2
- Mean Girls
- Garden State
- Vera Drake
Runners-up: Maria Full of Grace, Hotel Rwanda, Dogville
2002
- Chicago
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The Pianist
- Spirited Away
- Y Tu Mamá También
- The Ring
- Talk to Her
- The Hours
- Adaptation
- Minority Report
Runners-up: Bowling for Columbine, 25th Hour, Igby Goes Down
2000
- Almost Famous
- Erin Brockovich
- Dancer in the Dark
- Billy Elliot
- Best in Show
- Amores Perros
- Chicken Run
- You Can Count on Me
- Traffic
- The Emperor's New Groove
Runners-up: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Requiem for a Dream; Nurse Betty